Removable car crib



Jan. 23, 1951 R. G. DE FRlEs REMovABLE CAR CRIB F'iledoct. 2e, 1948 INI/ENTOR. RAYMOND G. DEFQIES.

Patented Jan. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REMovABLE GAR CRIB Raymond G. De Fries, Melvin, Ill.

Application october 2s, 194s, serial No. 56,513

(o1. 5in) 3 Claims.

Thisinvention relates toA attachments for yautomobile seats, and particularly to a removable crib attachment for the rear seat of a car.

The main object of my invention is to provide an automobile with a crib wall or attachment adjacent to the front edge of the' rear seat thereof to serve as a fence or retaining wall which converts the entire rear seat in to a crib for an infant.

Another obj:ct is to providev an automobile with a crib attachment of the character indicated which is rigidly fixed in position for use when set up, and yet is easily and quickly removed at will.

Afurther object is tohave such a removable crib attachment which is also collapsible into small and conveniently-handled form capable of being stored or stowed away in a portion of the reartrunk compartmentof the car involved.

It is also an object to have such a crib attachment made of wood or metal in simple yet effective and durable form.

A practical object is, of course, to manufacture a crib attachment as indicated at lowcost so that it may be offered to the public at a reasonable figure.

Other objects andadvantages of the invention will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for aproper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illus'- trated on' the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary section of a rear portion of an automobile illustrating a, removable car crib made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical form which is shown in side elevation;

Figure 2 is aY front elevation of the same car crib attachment, as seen from the left in'Figure l, and removed from the car;

Figure 3 is a top or plan view of the crib attachment when folded together or collapsed for stowing-it away;

Figure Liis a sectionA taken online ll-iwin Fig-- ure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower portion of one of the supporting posts of the crib attachment, the ViewI being shown on an enlarged scale;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of an attachment plate for the upper end of the removable crib disposed at each side ofthe car'above the front edge of the rear seat thereof.

In the various views, the same reference numerals indicates the same or like parts.

When a small child is'vr taken along' upon'an automobile ride, especially if an infant, the' rear seat of the car involvedis frequently used as a bed forv the childl and appears to be the most logical place for hisbed". However, as the car is not stillV and 'also must make turns as wellas start and stop and likewise encountersY irregularitiesin the'road traveled, the childcan all too often be jolted or swung out of place, and in fact thrown on the floor upon occasion-with possible injury resulting' therefrom.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that a detachablel retaining fence or crib wall should beavailable to prevent accident'al'displacementr of an infant from the'rear-seat and thereby eliminate theV danger ,ofy falling forward onto' the oor'of the car; As a result, I have found it quite'feasible to produce a removable car crib as already outlined which will now be more fully explained. Y l

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to the drawing, in an automobile r generally indicated at 1, the floor 8V has a yrearwardly-extending portion 9 upon which is mounted a' transversek memberv It having' anv upwardlyprojecting stud I i at each side. Located uponithe rearwardly-extending ioor portion S is a' rear cushion i2 having a downwardly-extendingfront portion or apron l @provided with a pair of `rearwardly directed loop or eye members* lll normally engaging upon and about'studs vl l in order to fix the cushion in position. In' conventional manner the rear back cushion l5 rests against the` front wall i6 ofa trunk compartment l? and for the purposeof the invention forms the rear wall of the crib, and upon thefront edge of the rear seat l2 is vertically mounted a crib structure, generally indicated'at i8 primarily consisting of a pair of crib frames l5 and ZShinged together at their'junctions'by hinges 2i, 22 at the lower and upper edgesthe'r'eof.l V ievving Figure 2, the hinges are concealed upon the rear of the frame members i9 and 26; but upon the forward portions of the upperframe members are' located a hook 23 pivoted on`fra1ne'2 and a corresponding stud 2li' on frame ie 'with which the 'hook is adapted to engage in order to retain frames' i8 and 29 aligned and'prevent buckling thereof "upon the hinges'as well as a lower hook 25 secured upon the lower frame portion' Zt'of frame I9, while the corresponding lstud 2'! is fixed upon the lower frame member`28 of frame 2t. Between the upper and lower portions 'ofthe frames extend a series of rungs 29, 29 spaced apart and occupying the space between the upper and lower frame members, while at the outer ends the frames terminate in a pair of upright end members 3B, 3l forming the outer ends of frames i9 and 2%. The end member 3i) is secured by angles 32, 33 to the upper and lower portions of frame i9, while in similar fashion the other end member 3i i's secured by angles 3Q, 35 to the upper and lower frame members of frame 26. Above end member 3d and in line therewith is a folddown end post 3S connected to frame I9 by means of a hinge 3l, and in similar fashion an upright end post 38 is connected by a second hinge tothe upper portion of frame 2b by a hinge 39 in such fashion that when it is erected it is in line with end member 3i of said frame 29. The mentioned posts 36 and 38, when erected into their upright positions, extend above the window lil of the automobile and at both sides of the latter engage against a pair of side loop plates (one shown at 4l in Figure 6), each plate being secured by a pair of screws or the like in holes 42, @E and provided with a strap loop i4 through which a strap 55 extends, being provided with a buckle 4S. Upon each side of the interior of the car the strap l5 engaged by the loop lli in loop plate il engages in a. flat groove iii' in post 35 or t8 in post 33, thereby anchoring the two posts 3S and 3S to the sides and holding the two aligned frames I9 and 2Q rigidly upright.

In order to support the frames so that the same may rest upon the noor 8 of the car, a pair of vertical reinforcing bars @9, D are secured at their upper and lower ends to the upper and lower portions of frames I9 and 20 by means of screws or bolts 5 l, 5 i, etc., and at the lower ends these members 49 and 59 are provided with individual folddown extensions or legs 52, 53 connected to said members 49 and 5E by means of hinges 55` in such fashion that the legs 52 and 53 may be folded upwardly out of the way when the crib structure is to be collapsed and stored away. Upon the lower forward surfaces of the hinged legs 52 and 53 loop strap guards or retainers 5- and 5? are nxed upon the legs by means of screws or bolts 58, 59, for example, these legs serving to stand upon floor S and directly support reinforcing members fig and 59 and thereby the entire frame I8. In order to stabilize the legs 52 and 53, each is held in position, as best seen in Figure 5, by means of a strap Si) which is passed through slots 8l in the lower portion or apron i3 of rear seat i2 and about stud il beneath the loop or apertured lug Iii adjacent to the leg, the strap being passed through the guide loop 5B or 5?, as the case may be, in such fashion as to envelop the leg at each side and which obviously prevents the legs 52 and 53 when thus secured from buckling or folding upward upon their hinges Eli and 55 until the strap 5B in each case is released.

When the entire crib frame or structure is is thus erected as described, the lower legs 52 and 53 support the structure on the door 8, while being held in position beneath seat i2, and at the same time, the upper end posts 36 and 38 are held by straps it anchored in the loop portions d5.. of loop plates il above the windows in both sides of the car, and as the hooks 2S and 25 hold the two frame sections i9 and 2e rigidly in line, whole presents a rigid fence or crib structure preventing acoidental displacement of an infant from the seat I2 onto the floor 8, even if the automobile be violently shaken.

When it is desired to remove the crib structure I8 and store it away in the rear trunk compartment I?, for example, it is butnece'ssary to release the straps d5 at the top and fold down posts 38, 35 on frames i9 and 20, as shown in Figure 3, then hooks 23 and 25 are released from studs 2li and 2l', respectively, straps Si? also released from guide loops 56 and 5l on legs 52 and 53, and the legs folded up outside of reinforcing members d and 5G, when the frames i9 and 2t may be folded upon hinges 2E and 22 into the doubled relation shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the entire frame is collapsed in such compact condition as to be readily placed into compartment l1 already referred to.

The frame sections, posts, legs and reinforcing members above the legs may be made of wood, metal or even plastic material if so desired.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, Ii

claim:

l. A removable crib attachment seat of an automobile having a floor and sides,l said attachment comprising a folding frame including two frame sections hinged together toy fold in superposed relation about a vertical axis, hooks upon the frame sections for bridging the junction thereof and corresponding studs for re-` taining said frame sections aligned, a pair of upwardly-extending end posts secured upon the outer ends of said frame sections, a pair of depending supporting legs extending downward from the lower portions of the frame sections, means for securing the depending supporting legs in position on the floor of the automobile with the frame sections in Contact with the front portion of the rear seat, and means for securing the upper ends of said end posts to the sides of the automobile.

2. A removable crib attachment for the rear seat of an automobile having a floor and sides, said attachment comprising a folding frame including two frame sections hinged together to fold in superposed relation about a vertical axis, hooks upon the frame sections for bridging the junction thereof and corresponding studs for retaining said frame sections aligned, a pair of upwardly-extensible end posts hinged upon the outer ends of said frame sections and adapted to be erected from a folded-down position on the latter, a pair of strap loops secured to the sides of the automobile above the seat, a pair of straps engaging inside said strap loops and serving to envelop the upper ends of said end posts, a pair of supporting legs connected to the lower portions of said frame sections in position to be directed down to the floor of a car, a pair of attachment members beneath the rear seat, and a pair of straps for enveloping the lower portions of said supporting legs and connecting them securely with said attachment members beneath said rear seat to stabilize said legs on the floor and retain the frame sections in position at the forward portion of said rear seat.

3. A removable crib attachment for the rear seat of an automobile having a floor and sides, said attachment comprising a folding frame including two frame sections hinged together to fold together in superposed relation about a vertical axis, hooks upon the frame sections for bridging the junction thereof and corresponding studs for retaining said frame sections aligned, a pair of upwardly-extensible end posts hinged 5 upon the outer ends of said frame sections and adapted to be erected from a folded-down position on the latter, a pair of strap loops secured to the sides of the automobile about the seat, a pair of straps engaging inside said strap loops and serving to envelop the 'upper ends of said end posts, a pair of supporting legs hinged to the ylower portions of said frame sections in position members to stabilize said legs on the floor and retain lthe frame sections in position at the forward portion of said rear seat. A

RAYMOND G. DE FRIES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date @94,266 Rope Aug. 14, 1877 208,721 Diescher Oct. 8, 1878 238,282 Gibson Mar. 1, 1881 15 1,926,220 Xiques Sept. 12, 1933 2,048,955 Showalter July 28, 1936 2,195,955 Hillenbrand Apr. 2, 1940 

